English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Etymology — The Origins of English Words

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

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From Arabic دار فور (Dār Fūr), meaning "land of the Fur."

An anglicized spelling of the German surname Böing, after founder William Boeing.

From Latin Hilarius or Hilaria, from hilare (“cheerfully”) (compare English hilarious).

From Sanskrit ajaya, "unconquered," built from a- ("not") plus jaya ("conquered").

Named after the maker of a well-known brand of harrow, whose name became a verb for the act of using one.

Named after Komodo Island in Indonesia, where the lizard is found.

Named after Frank J. Zamboni, the American inventor who built the first ice-resurfacing machine; his brand name became the everyday word for the machine itself.

Coined in the 1870s from high + brow, drawing on the now-discredited pseudoscience of phrenology, which claimed that a taller forehead signalled greater intelligence.

Borrowed from Japanese 山(やま)田(だ) (Yamada).

From "re-" ("again") plus "configure."

A casual clipping of "corona," itself short for "coronavirus."

A shortened form of "kestrel".

As an adverb, a dialect variant of "here." The slang adjective sense arose separately among students as informal shorthand for "easy."

anthropological

Formed from anthropology plus the adjective ending -ical.

Borrowed from Hindustani نَاکَا (nākā) / नाका (nākā).

Compare Spanish Rafael, Portuguese Rafael.

From "helm" (to steer or direct) plus the agent suffix "-er".

From Spanish Alhambra, from Arabic al-hamra ("the red one"), describing the reddish walls of the fortress.

A shortened, affectionate form of "blanket" with the diminutive ending "-ie."

Borrowed from German Hildegard in the 19th century; ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *Hildigardu.

From Hindi मार्ग (mārg, "road, path"), a doublet of marga.

From Sanskrit गोविन्द (Govinda, "finder of cows").

From Sanskrit गोपाल (gó-pālá), meaning "cowherd."

Aphetic form of Olivia + -y.